THE Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, 15, 1879. A SAD CONTRAST.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 35, 15 March 1879, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times.

SATURDAY, 15, 1879. A SAD CONTRAST.

" Word.-* nro things and a drop. «f mk falling liko de\^' upon.'*- t:ioi:a;Jit.. pro:lnce3 tlmt which make.**; thousu_d3, perhaps ruiilioDS think."

• ~~. : — 7E Taking- a retrospective glance at the progress mfvde by the. Upper ftjtanawatu since i,ts sett.lenyi}t — now less than a decade' .ago — we feel that even if we indulge, in' a little, congratulation, it will be psvrckma.blo under the circumstances. i The giant strides which it made during j the progress pi't.hp various pubHo works may have lessened with, their. <,'.omple- ! .tion ; Out instead a steady, healthy j progression lias sun ceded what at first. ) was merely spasmodic. The bush land ' oi the Jlauawatu has become known

throughout the length and breadth o^ ,thei two -Islands, and the East Coast of tne Northias well as the West Coast of thg South Islands have sent their representatives to swell the number of its settlers. Day by day we see strangers from afar offering strong inducements and high prices to those who have alreadyobtained freeholds to part with them, while v those lucky individuals, ; whose wealth but a few years ago was j reckoned 'by hundreds, now count- it by thousands by the increment of the value of y,;the.,laij4.V;.A,feTK :... weeks since, when the settlers m Napier and Wairarapa were bemoaning their parched fields and desert runs, and even .Itangitikei was looking heavenward with auxious eyes, the feed all over the Manawatu was m a rank luxuriance, which no number, of cattle could keep down. But cheering as are its present prospects, they are as nothing to what may be looked forward to m the future, With the throwing open of the eight thousand acres m the Taonui Block, containing notably some of the finest land m the Colony, a number of genuine bona, fide settlers will be introduced into 'the district. We learn from the District Stirveycsftliiit if is' theiri fention of the Government to thoroughly drain the land, and as he has roceived strict orders to make all haste with his portion of the work, there can be no doubt that tenders will beatonce called f or cut- . ting the roads through the block, so that intending settlers may visit and inspect the land. While longing eyes are cast towards this Coast from all parts of the Colony, it is pitiable to read ihe accounts from the West Coast of the South Island. There land and house property is a perfect drug m the market, aud not to be disposed of, no matter how great the sacrifice. All who have .the means are hurrying away as from a ; stricken place, and to such straits are those put who am left behind that it is publicly advocated that the Government ought to send round a steamer to take away the families of such working men as desire it, and land them m some place where there is a demand for labor. We have been favored with an extract from a letter from Westland, m which the writer says : — " There is no mistake about it, men cannot get work on the Coast, and cannot get away either. You cannot drag a wife and family across the ranges, and there is no other way, except by sea, of getting out of this horrible place." There is nothing but chaos, and ruin, and desolation, politically and commercially. The County Council is insolvent, and having overdrawn its account by some £3000, the bank has stopped further supplies. In this strait two of its best talking men have been despatched to Wellington to interview the Government, and see if it can be found willing to go to tbe rescue. The Education Board have not paid the teachers sinoe the.commenoement of the year, and as a consequence th«y have joined m the general exodus, every one being on the move, no one stopping behind unless those whose confidence outweighed their discretion, and delayed their flight until deprived of the means. We may ask what is the cause of this deplorable state of affairs, or why the contrast between that community and this? Simply m the source from whence it derived its prosperity. The time is not so long past since the towns of Westland; and the Province as a whole, took the lead of others m the Colony, being almost as far ahead as thej' are now behind the rest oE the Colony. As l° n g as its mines disgorged their- treasures, there was no thought for the future, and the land, and buildings, and businesses which are now going a-begging commanded almost fabulous prices, but with the collapse of tbat industry the airy fabrics built upon such weak t'oi\nT. dations toppled* to the ground, bringing with them commercial ruin and domestic misery. Such, however, is the inevitable fate of all communities whose prosperity is ba,sed upon so ephemeral a footing, for although the sudden rise and wealth of inijning districts may daz2le people for a while by the magnitude of their yields, that such is, but evanescent- the fate of Hokitika, m this Colony, and Ballarat, m Australia, are but too sad examples. On the other hand, .to.y?ns which owe. their vise and progress to agricultural or pastoral pursuits have a mine which never fails. This m an especial nianner is the lot of Manawatn, whose past, present, and future will differ m character, merging from, its normal condition of forest country into pastoral or grazing 1 and r only again to develop into food for the. plough, but each and all courting permanent settlement, and spreading wealth and prosperity upon all those who rely upon its resources.